


The Getaway

by Hasty85



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22872544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hasty85/pseuds/Hasty85
Summary: Beth has to make good on her deal with Rio and stay the weekend with him. This'll either be hell or heaven.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aware that this is a bit rushed, and I apologize for the quality of the smut, because I really haven't written much smut, so please keep that in mind. Also I had to rewrite the whole thing. That said, please enjoy, reviews always appreciated, and watch this space.

Beth tries not to tense up as the car moves deeper into the city. She's not really sure where they're going. Probably not out of the state, or even out of the city. Hotel? Probably? Rio has to sleep somewhere. Oh, god, agreeing to this was a terrible idea. He promised to bring he back home safely, but since when does any man keep their promises?

He stops at the next red light, and puts his hand over hers.  
“What's up? Gettin' cold feet?”

“Of course not,” she snaps. “A deal's a deal.”  
“That all it is-” 

“Light!”

He speeds up a little bit. A motorcycle darts in front of them, and Rio slams on the brake, swearing. She puts her hand out instinctively and realizes he'd grabbed her shoulder. He lets go, and shakes his head.

“And that right there is why I don't bother with bikes. Every biker's fuckin' nuts. You okay?”  
She nods. “Reminds me of one of Annie's friends. She started getting traffic tickets at fourteen. She still thinks speed limits are suggestions.”

“Who lets a fourteen-year-old drive a fucking car?”

“I was driving at twelve, but she had a scooter.”

“Your family let you drive the car at twelve?”

“Oh come on, like you never took the neighbor's cars for a spin. Anyway, I needed the cars because I had to get to this little theater a group I was in ran.”

He grins, “Go, on, mama, I'm likin' this. So, you ran a theater?”

“We showed old movies. There was this guy we had who could get his paws on lots of old, rare, movie reels. I helped run the projector; god, it was huge.”

“This thing still going?”

“The group busted up when I was in senior year. One day the guy who bought the movies just didn't show. I spent a whole afternoon waiting for him, finished three books and got the worst sunburn of my life. I found out later he'd had a heart attack on the way and died.”

“Any man that kept you waiting would have to be dead.”  
She rolled her eyes. “The flattery is nice but it's getting old. Have you ever been honest in your life?”  
“I was being honest,” Rio says, sounding a bit stung.  
“I bet you'd lie about your birthday.”  
“First of August.”  
“Of course you're a Leo.”  
“You?”  
“January 23rd,” she lies. By the time her actual birthday rolls around, Rio will be out of her life anyway.  
“I'll mark it on the calendar.”  
Rio carefully notes the cars as he pulls in. Huh, 5c has a new car, there's Evie's monster, and there's one scruffy car that's gotta be baby's first jalopy.

He stops the car, but doesn't unlock the door.  
“Gotta ask, you been tested?” he asks.  
She nods. “I had Ruby take me to a clinic. I passed of course. And I'm on the pill. You?”  
“Squeaky clean.”  
She laughs.  
“Hand to god, Elizabeth. I don't fuck around with my health.”

She's still giggling but manages to swallow it.

“Sorry, it's just...you looked so serious..”

He leans over and kisses her. Somehow, she ends up getting her tongue into his mouth and then breaks it.  
“You said something about a locked door and a bed,” she teases.

“Fuck, yeah. Let's go.”  
00  
Rio's place- well, this apartment is on the ground floor. He's glad he took her to this place, because his main crib-well, they'd probably scandalize anyone using the stairs. As it is, he has to tug her out of the way out of a herd of teenagers. Dr. Marquez must be working late, and Dizzy's taking full advantage of her mom's absence. 

For once, he's glad; they'll be distracting the neighbors from him and Beth. And they're relatively responsible; early nights and no hard drugs for those kids, not when they have to be up bright and early. Almost all of Dizzy's friends are dancers, hustling for practice space and money to fuel their dreams.

“Coat?” he asks.  
“Such a gentleman,” Beth says, and there's that little teasing smile that makes him practically rip the coat off her and pin her against the door, kissing her like he can't get enough.

She wraps an arm around him, at the same time, tugging at his shirt. A few buttons skitter across the floor, but he's more occupied with getting her top unbuttoned and feeling her up. He squeezes one breast a little hard, but Beth grinds against his thigh. He manages to get past the band of her panties and dips a finger in; god she's soaked.

“Not gonna make it to the bed,” he mutters, coming up for air.

“Floor's fine,” she gasps out.  
“Wanna ride me, Elizabeth,” he challenges.  
“God, please,” she breathes, going for his fly. He lets her unzip him, and then wiggles out of his jeans. He gets her skirt and underwear off so fast the thong rips.  
“Hey!” she protests.  
“Buy you a new one,” he grunts, fishing a condom out of his jeans pocket and handing it to her.

She folds it down over him, and he sits down, helping her up and over. His eyes almost cross when he's finally inside her. The reality is a thousand times better than anything he'd imagined while jacking off. He slides her bra down so he can suck a nipple. Beth's rocking into him, forgetting anything but how good she's feeling right now. She reaches down to rub her clit, only to have her hand captured. 

“Nah, lemme help,” he says, kissing her and reaching down. 

“Oh..fuck, right there.”

“Feelin' good?” he rasps out.

“Fuck, yes, a little more pressure..oh, right there, just like that.”

“Wanted to do this since the first time I saw ya..”

“Think you were the only one,” she says, a little belligerently. 

She's so close to coming, she can feel it. She squeezes around him (bless you, Kegels) and almost gets a shout out of him, but it backfires. He presses his thumb hard down on her clit, which sets her off. Rio arches and bites into her lip and she lets herself be bounced up and down, digging grooves into his shoulders. Then he's done, and he's pressing his forehead against hers. She relaxes her grip and just leans into him.  
“Goddamn,” he says, breathlessly.  
“Yeah,” she agrees.  
He lifts her off him, just enough so he can slide out of her, and wraps an arm around her.  
After five minutes, he gets to his feet and hauls her up. 

“Come on, Elizabeth. Ain't gonna let my lady sleep on the floor.”  
“You're just angling for a second round,” she mutters.  
“Tempting, but I wanna nap first.”  
“Can I use your bathroom?”  
“Sure, over there.”

He certainly spared no expense, she thinks looking over the chrome fixtures. The toilet's luckily not a deluxe model, although she accidentally pushes the wrong button and finds he's installed a bidet.

“You could have warned me about the bidet,” she says, walking out.  
“Isn't it more fun finding things out on your own?” he says, with a grin.

The bed is huge, she thinks. Her bra somehow ended up sideways, and she vaguely wonders where her shirt went. One stocking's gone and the other's bunched around her ankle. She sighs and unrolls it. Well, that's it for this pair. 

She manages to get her bra untangled and flings it vaguely off into a corner. Then she tries to figure out where Rio sleeps. She opens the nightstand closest to her. Yup, one book with a bookmark. She rolls to the opposite side, an inch away from the edge.

“Hey, what's this, don't I get a cuddle,” Rio teases, sliding in next to her. He's taken off his shirt, and she admires the view. There's fewer tattoos then she thought, small scribbles of ink over his pecs, one of a griffin over his left ribcage, the other has a small scar that looks like someone tried to stab him, and a small puckered area in his shoulder.  
He brushes a bit of her hair out of her face, and leans down for a nice lazy kiss, running his tongue over the teethmarks. She rolls over and puts her head on his chest.

“Whatcha doing, Elizabeth?”  
“Checking for a heartbeat,” she retorts.

He chuckles and leans back against the pillows, running his fingers through her hair. After a bit, her breathing changes, and Rio soon follows her.  
00  
He wakes up around eight, according to his bedside clock.  
There's a bit of stomping upstairs, and his arm is totally asleep because Beth is snoozing on his shoulder.

He shifts her off and shakes out his arm, wincing as the circulation returns, and then he takes a minute to just watch her sleep. She's so beautiful, and she's his for the weekend. He kinda wishes he could just keep her, show her everything there is in his life. Damn, that's the problem with getting old; he's getting soft and sentimental. And hungry. He eases out of bed, and then tucks in the blankets around Beth.

“Rio?” she asks, waking up a bit.  
“Just gonna make some dinner. How do you feel about sole?”

“Have to boil it for ages and then use a meat tenderizer. And I hope there's no gum on it.”  
He blinks and realizes Beth apparently thought he was going to cook shoes for dinner.  
“I meant, how do you feel about fish?”

“As long as it's not too fishy. Tuna's disgusting, and so are anchovies.”

“Cool. Anything you absolutely can't or won't eat?”  
“Snails are a conspiracy,” she mutters into her pillow.  
“Not on the menu anyway, but ok.”

He drags a shirt out from the depths of his wardrobe that he must have tossed in there ages ago. He shakes it out and realizes that it's not actually his. Demon's lady must have been using it to sleep in, that time he had the flu and they had to play musical apartments. He'd had the vaccine, but it hadn't made any damn difference. 

He'd had to call Rhea and tell her he was living in the bathroom for the weekend. It'd kind of hurt to tell Marcus he couldn't make it that week.

Demon had ended up taking care of him because Bullet had the same flu, Cisco's sister was sick and he'd moved into her place til she was better, (Rio would have bitched but Sofia was his cousin and Cisco's twin.Don't fuck with twins.) Carlos was covering for half the crew already and Eddie could maybe be trusted with a damn goldfish (under supervision.)

Eh, it'll do. He gets a pair of sweatpants out and slips them on, collecting clothes as he goes.  
00  
Beth wakes up about twenty minutes later. She takes a quick shower and checks the damage to her skirt and top. Luckily, not bad. She puts her clothes back on (mostly) and smooths out the wrinkles. She takes the long way around to the kitchen. Rio apparently likes open plan spaces and keeping things sparse. A few succulents are scattered around close to the windows, there's a few models on one of the bookshelves. The books are mostly science fiction or history. 

She eyes a familiar looking wall hanging- she's sure she knows the artist. Then she checks the movies, in their own shelf by the tv. Lots of monster movies, someone just can't get enough of Tokyo being leveled. All of the Alien movies, really? And..oh, wow, she can't believe it.

“Dinner's almost ready,” Rio calls.  
“You should be ashamed,” she says, brandishing the DVD at him. “An entire set of Rita Hayworth's greatest hits, and you never even opened it!”

Rio blinks at it. “Oh, that. Who's this Rita Hayworth?”  
“Only one of the greatest stars of the 1940s. You have a wall hanging of her, how do you not know the name?”  
“Oh, that. I thought it was pretty, so I bought it off some chick. I bought the movies for my cousin; she's bonkers about musicals. Sit.”

“I should at least set the table.”  
“Naw, I got it,” he says, pulling out a chair for her. “You like musicals too?”  
“Not really, I was always more into noir and horror.”  
“Like Carrie?”

“I've seen the original at least twenty times.”  
He raises an eyebrow. “Damn, didn't expect that.”  
“Well, you apparently enjoy watching Tokyo being leveled by guys in rubber suits.”  
“Hey, don't knock those old monster movies. They hold up pretty well.”  
She inspects her drink. “What on Earth is this?”

“Pisco sour. You like it?”  
She sips it. “A little sweet for me.”  
He hands her a slice of lime. “Here, try it with this.”  
The lime helps. She digs into her fish, noticing his eyes on her.

“Well?”

“Delicious, where are you hiding the cook?”  
“Not every guy is useless in the kitchen. Though that's as fancy as I get.”

She smiles politely, and resumes eating.

“You like dancing?”

“Sure, though I haven't in years. Or did you mean watching it?”

“Both. My cousin's doing a salsa cabaret show tomorrow, and then they clear the floor afterward.”

“I'm not sure I packed anything nice enough.”

He waves a hand. “I'll take care of it.”

“Are you sure you want to be seen with me in public?”

“Honey, I'll be out with the prettiest girl in the club.”

“Don't say things like that, I might start thinking you mean them,” she say. A banging from upstairs interrupts them.  
“What the..”

He sighs. “Dizzy Marquez. Again. That girl has some kinda thing against coffee tables.”

Beth starts stacking her dishes.

“Hey, no. I'll take care of that. You pick out a movie for us.”


	2. Chapter 2

Rio hears the clatter outside, as he's putting away the dishes. He heads toward the door, and opens it a crack.  
“-And even if we don't get shot, how're you planning to get a trellis up the stairs,” one kid's telling a girl his age.

Rio relaxes, slightly. The boy, rocking a buzzed haircut, is Rom. His companion, whose head is mostly shaved except for a mess of curls that are piled so high they add an inch to her height, is Evie, who looks a bit irritated.

“Hey guys,” he says. “What broke?”

“Ah, one of the legs on the couch gave out,” Rom says. Evie's lips twitch, which suggests the couch was a victim of some damnfool stunt, like seeing how many teenagers they could pile on it at once.

“So, we thought we'd get something to prop it up with. No big, bossmang,” Evie says breezily.

She's a freelance gofer, and he throws some work her way from time to time. Squeaky clean stuff; the girl is going places, and Rio's not about to annoy her big brother, who despite being all of twenty-one, is probably Detroit's best street mechanic.(The dude is the Dr. Frankenstein of cars.)

“There's a cart on the other side of the building in the janitor's closet,” he says. “If you've got a cardboard box, cut that up and stick it in the wheels so they don't roll.”

“Thanks, bossmang,” she says and runs off.

Rom smiles. “Hey, didn't know you were into Mushroomhead. Wasn't that a great show? Thought the roof was gonna blow skyhigh when they brought out those big drums.”

Yeah, that sounds like a band Demon would like.

“Yeah, it sure was something,” Rio lies. “Anyway, can't chat, got someone waiting on me.”

Rom chuckles. “Yeah, I saw that redhead earlier. Lady's got some claws on her.”

“The best ones all come that way,” Rio smiles and retreats. He locks the door, and then chains it.  
“So, was it the coffee table,” Beth asks. She's got everything all fired up.

“The couch,” Rio says.   
“How?”  
“Didn't ask. This what we're going to watch?”  
“No, actually, I just thought you should see this. It's one of her most celebrated scenes.”

They watch Hayworth shimmy and shake to 'Blame it on Mame.' Rio's getting the weirdest sense of deja vu. He's never seen the movie in his life, but he's seen the footwork somewhere.

“So what movie are we watching?”

“Lady From Shanghai, but she doesn't dance in that one. Unless you'd rather watch Oldboy.”

“Is that the one where the dude eats a live lobster?”

“No, a live octopus. The lobster's Venom, or at least, so Annie tells me.”

“Pass. Are you two related? Cause that woman looks a lot like you.”

“Cute. No.”

Beth pops out the dvd, puts it back in it's case, and then pops in the movie. 

Rio remembers something and heads back into the kitchen, coming out with two little lemon mousses.

“Don't tell me you made these too,” she teases.

“Nah, storebought. I can't bake for shit. Got some mints too, for after.”

“Oh, good. I hate fishbreath.”

He sits down next to her and drags a blanket over them. About halfway through the movie, he gets bored. Beth can feel him shift and he leans into her, kissing her neck and nibbling a bit. 

“I thought you wanted to watch this,” she teases.

“Why would I watch her when I have you right here?” he says, sliding a hand up her leg. “'Sides, I want dessert. How long's it been since someone had their tongue up in you?”

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she retorts.

He kisses her hard, she kisses him back, and kisses his throat, and he's sliding his hand under her shirt and unhooking her bra. Somehow she manages to grab the remote and click the movie off, and then she's rolling up his shirt and it's off and flung into a corner.   
“Bed,” she says, running her hands down his abs.

He lifts her up, causing her to yelp, and manages to carry her to the bedroom. It takes all his self-control not to just hike up that skirt and go to town; this time's gonna be nice and slow if it kills him. Beth props herself up on the pillows and unbuttons her shirt, sliding her bra off, and then she wiggles out of her skirt. Rio spends some time sucking and nipping at her breasts. Then he kisses down her stomach.

One scar, straight line across her belly, he can guess where that one's from. She has a small tat that he kisses, he can hear her gasp as his stubble drags across her thigh, and on the opposite leg, there's a long strange scar. He files that away to ask about later; looks like wire dug in there. He nips her tat, just a bit.

Finally, he settles between her legs and dips his tongue in.

“Fuck,” Beth moans, digging her nails into his shoulder. She jolts as he kisses her clit, and then loses track entirely when a finger slips into her. He's knuckle deep in her, sucking and licking her clit, and then he grazes against her gspot, and she's gone. She's cursing up a storm, including a couple words in Cantonese and French she'd forgotten she knew. She leans back against the pillows, panting.

Rio crawls up, and kisses her. She doesn't really like the taste, but she doesn't flinch.

“Should I..” she motions toward his cock, which is hard and straining.  
“Rather fuck you,” Rio breathes out. “Where's a..”  
She wraps her legs around him. 

“Like that, huh,” he chuckles. He bends both legs towards her chest and slides in. Beth gasps. Oh, this is so much better. He's so warm inside, and every muscle's tensed above her. She can't move much, pinned down like a butterfly. Even so, she throws her hips back at him, tilting up to get him deeper in. 

“Relax, Elizabeth, I gotcha..god, one of these days, gonna find out if your ass is tight as your pussy. All the things I wanna do ta ya..”  
He kisses between her breasts, getting his elbows under her knees.He moves faster, grazing her clit with his thumb, and that's just enough to get her over the edge. She takes him with her, feeling him pulse inside her. He stays inside her for a minute, laying on her and then rolls off.

“Damn, Beth,” he says, kissing her, and then sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed.

“What happened to a cuddle,” she teases.

“Gotta get cleaned up first. Hang tight.”

Like she has a choice, she thinks, yawning. She feels drained after that. Rio saunters back in with a washcloth. She lets him swipe between her legs and then burrows into the blankets. He molds himself to her back and drapes an arm across her.

“Hey. Where'd you get that scar on your leg?”  
“Well, that's out of left field.”  
“B-eth.”  
“Ok, it's just..stupid. I got it in high school.”

“How?”

“I was running this truth or dare game that got out of hand. Someone dared me to climb a barbed wire fence, so I got Ruby and another girl as witnesses. Climbing up was fine, but I went down too fast and snagged my leg. Twenty-two stitches. Even my doctor thinks it was from a car accident.”

“Why'd you do it?”

“You always take the dare. That's basic.”  
“Coulda picked truth.”

“Coming from you that's so ironic it's affecting the Earth's magnetic field. Good night,” she says.   
He stays awake for a little bit, pondering that.   
00  
Beth wakes up at about three by the bedside clock. She wiggles out from Rio's arm, grabs her robe (at least she hopes it's her robe), and picks through her books. She grabs one and pads out to the living room. She flicks the light onto the lowest setting and starts reading.  
She could pretty much recite the Killer Inside Me from memory, but it's still nice to reread it. And oddly, sleeping next to Rio seems more intimate then what they've been doing.  
She's about four chapters in when Rio sits down next to her.  
“Whatcha doing out here?” he asks.

“Couldn't sleep,” she says. “Didn't see why you should suffer.”

“I'm already sufferin', my bed is cold,” he says, grabbing the blanket and spreading it over them. “Good book?”  
“I like it,” she says. 

“What's it about?”  
“A cop and a prostitute.”

“A romance?”  
“No, not remotely. I don't think I like those anymore, anyway. They're so unrealistic.”

“Mm. Don't stay up all night, though. I thought we'd go to the shooting range.”

“Sure you want to be seen in public with me?” she says.

He chuckles. “Course I do. You're my girl, my lady.”

Pretty soon, he's asleep, leaning against the arm of the couch. She finally closes the book and leans against his shoulder, asleep in seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

Beth wakes up with an awful crick in her neck. Rio's slumped on the other side of the couch. She smiles a little. She should return last night's favor. It'd be fun to knock him off guard. She slides the coffee table a little- she'd rather not bump her head.   
She shifts him a little, so she can get better access, and then undoes the fly in his boxers. He's half-hard already, nicely trimmed, and definitely thicker than she's used to. She takes a deep breath, and goes for it, getting about halfway and using her hand to cover the rest. She can hear his breathing shift and change, and finally he opens his eyes.  
“Hell of a wakeup call,” Rio breathes out, burying his hands in her hair. “Hang on, just a minute. Lemme get these out of your way.”  
He stands up and sheds his boxers, then sits down and leans back. Beth inches back into place and sucks. He grabs her free hand and places it at his balls. The other hand cards through her hair.  
“Like a little action here,” he says, “Like some teeth too, long as ya don't bite.”  
As suggested, she lets her teeth scrape lightly on his cock and is rewarded with a groan. She's dripping and wishes she could free up a hand to take care of herself.   
“God, just like that. Fuck, Elizabeth, could come just seein' you on your knees... Wanna see if you can get all the way down..”  
She tries, managing to get him past her tonsils, at least. Then she backs off a bit, licking the tip.  
“Gonna coome,” he groans, and then he does.   
She swallows, letting him ride out the aftershocks, and then stands up and wipes her mouth on the sleeve of her robe. Rio pulls her down on top of him, and she squeaks in surprise.  
“Think my boss bitch should get a reward,” he purrs. He tries to go in for a kiss, but Beth turns her head.   
“You'll suck my dick, but won't kiss me?” he teases, tweaking a nipple.  
“I hate morning breath,” Beth says, squirming around until she gets some friction.  
“Just relax, I gotcha,” he murmurs, kissing her ear. “Lean back and enjoy the ride, Elizabeth.”  
She lets out a breath as the first finger slips into her, and grinds against his palm. A second one is added and then a third, and pretty soon she's rolling her hips, his other arm tight across her chest. Her back is against his bare skin, and between that and the absolutely dirty things he's whispering, she's pretty far gone. A rub across her gspot, a bite on her shoulder and a pinch to her nipple, and she's lost to the waves. Rio lets his fingers slip out of her. She's curled into him, boneless and shaky, and blinks in disbelief as he licks his fingers. Her neck's got an awful crick. She tries to rub it away, and then Rio presses a thumb into her neck and rubs for a few minutes.  
“I should get some coffee started,” he says. “Milk, sugar?”  
“Black.”  
She grabs for her robe as he puts on his boxers.   
“What do you like for breakfast?”  
“Coffee,” she says. She doesn't bother to eat breakfast most days.  
“Most important meal of the day, honey.”  
“Fine, toast.”  
“Oh, yeah, you got anything to tie back your hair with? Scrunchies, shit like that?”  
She frowns. “Not sure. I have some bobby pins.”  
“There's some hairties in the bathroom drawers, last I checked. I used to wear mine long, til a couple of years back. Still keep some bands around, just cause they're useful.”  
“Why'd you cut it?”  
“Ever had lice?”  
“Oh, god, that brings back bad memories.”  
“Yeah. The cure's worse than the bugs. One thing, wear pants if you've got 'em. Don't want any loose fabric around at the range.”  
She blinks. “Oh, wait, you were serious?”  
00  
That afternoon, Rio checks his messages. Beth's reading in the living room, though he suspects she might actually be napping. Fine, let her get some rest, she's gonna need it.  
Business don't stop for nobody, and he should at least check in.  
“Hey,” he says, “Cisco, everything going all right?”  
“The ladies found a narc,” Cisco reports.  
“Shit. Who?”  
“Eddie. Val says she's got an idea; should I let her run with it or kick it up the chain?”  
“What's her idea?”  
“She says we should keep him alive, have him give out info. But the thing is, it won't be info on us.”  
“So we burn someone that he thinks is connected to us. What happens when they say they ain't?”  
“Nothin. Remember that Russian lady that the big man told us about? Well, she's got angels on her side that'll whisk her right out of the country. And for bonus points, Val thinks it'll get Turner's bosses pissed at him.”  
Rio grins. “Let the ladies run with it, but step in if shit gets outta hand. Call Mick, get him clued in, and let's try and get Eddie away from the action. Make him do courier duty or some shit.”  
“Sounds good to me, wasn't lookin' forward to wasting the bullets. Gonna see you at the club tonight?”  
“Of course, with the prettiest lady around.”  
00  
Beth ducks behind Rio. Great. This night is going fantastic. She feels way out of place; most of the crowd is half her age, if that, wearing stuff she'd never wear (well, maybe in her nightmares) and she's pretty sure they're being followed. Not that it'd be hard, she stands out like a lighthouse in a forest, and she's sure she's being stared at.  
She likes the dress; black with red flowers. She wishes she didn't have to give it back. It's not designer, exactly, but it's not the usual off the rack stuff.   
Rio refuses to say where he got it, it was just there when they got back from lunch.  
“Maybe we should leave,” she says. “There's a silver car that's been following us around. I'm sure it's Turner's or one of his buddies.”  
“Nah, that's just the Rocinante, Evvie's ride. Her group has some batsignal set up; they turn out for every show.”  
“Evvie?”  
“She's a go-fer for hire that I throw some work to from time to time. Her brother works for me. He built that car for her sweet sixteen.”  
“Well, I'd wondered why I couldn't place the make,” Beth admits. “But..we should still go.”  
“You look fantastic. Come on, show's starting and we'd better grab drinks and a seat.”  
Beth sighs. He puts an arm around her.  
“Look, I know it ain't your scene, but it's kinda important to Sofia. One of her girls broke an ankle, and she went through hell putting this show together.”  
“Was it during practice?”  
“No, Lissy, her dance partner, tripped over an extension cord.”  
“Those things are menaces,” Beth says.  
“Too right,” he agrees, pulling out a chair. “What's your order?”  
“A Manhattan, with as little vermouth as possible.”  
“Ok. Be right back.”  
He fights his way to the bar. Yeah, there's Evvie's group, sharing a pitcher of beer. Barkeep should be keeping a better eye on the cards. Not that that would help; he'd heard of some kids simply hacking the DMV and issuing themselves licenses.  
“A manhattan, no vermouth, and a seven and seven,” he tells the barkeep. “Top shelf.”  
He sees Lissy and Bullet at a table and stops by.   
“Hey, how's the ankle?”  
Lissy grimaces. “Be another couple of weeks before I get the boot off.”  
“You should see the girl they got to fill in,” Bullet says. “I didn't know they made 'em like that. I thought you were hiding out with Ms. Beth for the weekend? Maybe I should come say hi?”  
Rio glares at him. He hasn't forgotten Bullet's crack about Beth.  
“Hey, Rio, can you do me a favor?” Lissy asks. “I need a tranquilizer gun. Hell, I'd settle for a blowgun.”  
“What for?”  
“If Sofia keeps letting the new girl stay over, I'mma start putting xanax in her food. She's nice enough, she just has no chill. I spend five minutes with her, I feel exhausted.”  
He raises an eyebrow. “Why is Sofia leasing her couch out?”  
“She knew the new girl back in Chi-town, and wanted to keep her out of the roach motels.”  
“Yeah? Look, I'd love to keep chattin,' but I don't wanna keep Beth waiting.”  
He reminds himself to talk with Sofia about safety, again. She's a sucker for a hard-luck story. Not so much from guys, but she cuts other women way too much slack.  
He heads back to the table. There's a guy eyeing up Beth, and he makes sure to catch the dude's eye as he sits down at the table. Yo, this one's mine, he thinks.  
“What'd you get?”  
“Seven and seven. Want some?”  
“Just a sip,” she says, picking up the glass and taking a small sip. “Oh, that is nice.”  
He takes a drink from the manhattan. Not his speed, but not bad.  
“Hey. Don't tell me you want to trade,” she says, taking her drink back. “Did you find your cousin?”  
“This close to showtime? Nah. I'll look her up after.”  
She starts playing with her straw, idly scoping out the exits.  
“Hey, none of that. I'll introduce her to you.”  
Beth sighs. “I wish you wouldn't act like that. We both know this thing isn't going to work. I have kids.”  
“I have a son.”  
“Just one?” she teases.  
“Yeah, just the one. He's six.”  
“Son of the side chick or main chick?”  
“One, I don't play around. Two, his mom and I separated when he was three.”  
He grabs her hand and squeezes it. “Three, you're the one I'm with. So, chill.”  
Beth gives him a skeptical look and picks up her glass. “I don't care. You're free to play around with whoever you want.”  
“LADIES, GENTLEMEN, WHATEVERS, PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE GHOST PEPPER QUEENS,” the MC announces.   
Four women run up onto the stage. They wave to the crowd. He lists the ones he knows: Dylan, Sofia, Aracely. The new girl's a white woman who towers over the others. She scans the crowd, trying not to be obvious, and then her gaze lights on Beth, and her smile fades, replaced by a jolt of shock. The music starts, and she stomps and claps like the rest.

They start the first number and Rio can see the difference right away. Lissy has to strain a bit to lift Sofia, this woman doesn't bat an eye as she lifts Sofia over her head or leads her into the spins. She's a little faster then the others, and she's pushing the others to pick up the pace. Aracely shoots her a quick look that suggests this wasn't part of the choreography.

For the last number, she trades partners with Aracely. Dylan's even smaller then Sofia; looks like a kid cradled in her arms. The new girl spins her out, then they dance side by side, and then a lift, with Aracely trading Sofia back in midlift, and a small throw that has Sofia and Dylan airborne for a few seconds. They're both caught, lowered to the ground and spun. 

Somehow, Sofia and her partner end up at the edge of the stage, and as the song ends, new girl goes into a deep bend that has Sofia dangling over the edge. He almost gets to his feet, but Beth grabs his sleeve. The new girl reels Sofia back in and they're on their feet to take their bows. 

They clear the stage after that.

“Stay tuned, all you lovely people,” the MC booms. “We have a special treat before we open the floor up! Introducing Trish O'Rourke, the Bird of Passage. Some of you might remember her from All Heel Breaking Loose! She's also on Youtube!”

The new girl steps out. She's changed her outfit; lost the skirt and added a pair of sky-high heels. A pulsing beat starts, with someone singing in a language he doesn't know and English mixed together.

She swivels to the left and right, and then flips, landing upside down and letting her heels meet right above her head. She turns on her hands, while she does a split, and then flips back upright, does a spin with one leg held in front of her face, and flips again. On the edge of the stage she repeats the sequence, and then unwinds and steps backward. Another front spin, and the song's over. She bows and leaves the stage, heading toward the green room.

Rio taps Beth's shoulder. “I'm gonna go get Sofia. Hang tight.”

He hopes Beth won't bolt for the exit or the ladies room as soon as he's out of sight. Speaking of..he hangs a right and heads to the men's room. The green room's down the hall, but he takes his time. Sofia can be deadly accurate with a hairbrush when she wants to be.

“Will someone get these snail-fucking bastards off my feet, please?” he hears someone yell, and that shoots a bolt of cold down his spine. Fucking hell. 

“Jeezus, Trishkadee, hold your horses,” Dylan snaps.

He knocks. 

“Hey,” Sofia greets him, stepping outside. She's already changed. “Soo that's the new girlfriend.”

“'Scuse me, coming through..” the tall girl says, trying to inch herself and her duffel bag through. 

“Trish, aren't you going to stay?”

“Uh, you know, my mom's sick, I have to feed my hair, and iron my cat. Must dash, call you later, and have a wooonderful evening,” she says in one long breath and promptly scurries into the janitor closet. Sofia gives Rio a look that says 'what did you do this time?'

“So how long should we wait to tell her that ain't the exit?” Rio asks. Sofia sighs and knocks on the closet door.  
“That isn't the exit,” she says.

“I know, but it's lovely in here. Reminds me of home sweet fallout shelter.”

Sofia rolls her eyes. “You can't stay in there all night, Kimmy Schmidt. Come out and act civilized.”

“Won't, shan't and you can't make me,” comes the response.

Sofia sighs. “Fine, have it your way. I am going to have a drink or two. If you get home before me, don't put the deadbolt on.”  
“You're letting her stay with you?” Rio asks.

“She ain't got any place else. Besides, that's Merricat we're talking about. She's harmless.”

Rio snorts. He'd seen her take on a guy who'd had at least sixty pounds on her- and she had the guy flat on the floor in under a minute. She was hard to hit, fought dirty, and used everything: feet, fists, even teeth. She never could sit still either.

He should have recognized her straight off the bat, except he'd never seen her as a brunette before. She'd dyed it red, blue, black, purple, and once half and half red and green. Last time, she was a champagne blonde and tried to snow him into believing her name was Luka. No, not quite the last time, but she'd been wearing a hat that time, tucked over her ears.

“What's she go by these days?” he asks.  
“Trish. Not Patty, unless you need a tooth or two gone.”  
“Now I know why Lissy was threatening to dose her with xanax.”

00

“-Heavy on the vermouth and with lots of nice tinkly ice,” Beth is telling the dude who was creeping on her before, with a sunny smile. He heads off to the bar, where Rio and Sofia just were. Rio got Beth a seven and seven, along with a glass of water, Sofia has a vodka and cran. 

“I thought you hated vermouth,” Rio says.  
“I wasn't planning on drinking it,” Beth says with a little sardonic smile. “I was thinking of throwing it in his face.”  
Rio chuckles. That's his reina.

“Beth, this is Sofia.”

“Nice to meet you,” Beth says, scanning Sofia up and down. “I wish I could say 'I've heard so much about you,' but..”

“He ain't told you anything about me,” Sofia says. “Same here.He always has to have his secrets, even when he was a kid.” 

She drains her drink and plunks it on the table. “Well. I won't keep you two long. I can see they're clearing the floor. And I have to get that girl out of the closet.”

“Aren't you going to stay?” Beth asks.

“Nah, I'm bushed. Hey, how's the fit on the dress?”  
“Like a glove,” Beth says.

“Glad to hear it. I wondered who Evie was buying it for. Don't be a stranger, Beth. Rio, bring her by, sometime, yeah?”

“Well, she's very definitely related to you,” Beth says as they head to the floor. “Must have sucked up all the nice, though.”  
“Hey, ain't I been good to you?” he asks, nuzzling her neck.

“Only when you think you'll get something out of it,” she retorts. “But I don't think I'll be accepting that invitation anytime soon.”  
00  
They take a few spins on the floor, before Rio decides they should head home. Beth's getting a little handsy, and ok, he's snuck a feel every chance he got, and between that and the booze, he really, really wants to get that dress off. But there's one thing that's nagging at him.

He doesn't start the car and Beth looks at him.

“The tall girl, the one on stage with Sofia. You know her?”

“She lived next door to me and Annie for years,” Beth says, deciding that honesty is the best route. 

“She gonna run tell hubby? Or Agent Turner?”

“She's hated Dean for years, and he doesn't care anyway. As for Turner, she doesn't know anything that's been going on, and even if she did, she wouldn't tell him because that would spoil the fun. Best case scenario, she tries to corner Ruby.”

“Why is that the best case scenario?”

“They'll be busy bickering for a month. Trish put Ruby through hell when she was a kid, and Ruby snitching on her to her case worker didn't help at all.”

“Ruby got her kids taken away?”

“No, Trish had been living by herself for two months when she was thirteen. The real problem is if she tries to talk to Annie. That kid you got to shadow Annie's still there, right?”

He has to admit he can see Ruby's point: where the hell where the kid's parents? And why had Beth apparently been cool with that?

“I wouldn't worry about her. She can take care of herself. I'd worry more about what I'm gonna do to you when we get back.”

“If you last,” she smiles back.

He smiles to himself thinking that she's gonna regret that.  
00  
He's the one to start things, this time.

By the time they tumble into his bedroom, they're full on making out. He unzips Beth's dress. She steps out of the heap on the floor and her hands slide to her panties, but he grabs her wrists and pins them in one hand. 

“Nah. On the bed, Elizabeth, and keep your back to me.”

He lets go, and she climbs onto the bed. He pulls her up so she's on her knees and nips at her hip before pulling her underwear down with one hand and his teeth. She wiggles so she can kick it off. He gives her a quick smack on the ass, before unhooking her bra. He takes the liberty of a quick grope before reaching in the nightstand for a condom. 

“Rio,” she groans out, before he presses against her and into her.   
“Damn, you're so wet already.” he murmurs, tilting her hips up.

“Oh, god,” she chokes out. It feels so much sharper this way, and him nibbling her earlobe isn't helping. “Fuck, faster, please.”  
He chuckles, “Still so polite..”  
He does pick up the pace, a bit and starts stroking her clit. Then he stops, abruptly.

“Rio!”

“Wanna try something,” he says, and Beth's eyes go wide as a finger ghosts around her..oh, no. He slides the tip of his thumb in, and then slides back in. His other hand is back at her clit and..god, she probably woke up everyone in the building with how loud she yelled.

Rio pumped a few times, then leaned against her back with a quiet, “goddamn Elizabeth.”  
00  
“What was that about?” she asks sleepily as they shower.  
“Blowin' your mind,” he answers. “And making sure you remember we're together.”  
00  
Turner notices the woman in the diner almost immediately. It's hard not to notice a tall woman in a gold shirt. She's spinning a mug of cocoa in her hands, looking a little shellshocked.

“Detective Whitaker?” he asks. He's pretty sure of the name. Caitlin Whitaker, homicide squad. Though he didn't know she was such a peacock outside of work hours.

She blinks at him. “Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

She sighs. “No, I'm not. I'm gearing up to do a horrible thing to someone who really doesn't deserve it. Maybe her cousin will learn not to mess with things that are mine."

“And what exactly are you going to do?” he asks.

“I'm gonna break her heart,” the woman says, with a small smile. She drains her cocoa and stands up. “Have a good night, Agent Turner. Say hi to my doppelganger if you see her around."


End file.
